James Roth in Peru

​JAMES ROTH IN PERU

1). The Rotary Club of Lima.

In 1919, Rotary had transposed the U.S. borders and the so-called “Association of Rotary International,” asked Don Alfonso Federico Pezet, to organize Rotary Clubs in Peru in consultation with the appointed Ambassador of Peru in the United States, Fernando Carbajal Segura. Simultaneously, he was asked to dissemination all necessary material to effect this task.

From this moment, Don Fernando, began to think of Rotary and seek the necessary elements to implement the order received, by holding talks with James H. Roth who was considered the best connection for this purpose and who was then the acting U.S. Consul in Lima, and was known to be a very enthusiastic supporter of training Rotarians.

On June 18, 1920, in the restaurant at the zoo, located in the Exposition Park, the twelve founders of the Rotary Club of Lima, met for lunch for the first time. Photo of Carbajal.

Those present at this meeting were – Messrs. Cesar A. Coloma, Victor Andres Belaunde, William F. Montavon, Santiago Acuña, Charles F. Montavon, Santiago Acuna, Carlos Arana Santamaria, Fernando Carbajal Segura, James H. Roth, Enrique Bianchi, Charles F. Hill, Cesar Wallach, John Alexander Mckay, and Mr. J. N. Griffiths.

Those present elected their first President, Cesar A. Coloma and their first Secretary Don Fernando Carbajal.
On July 14, 1920, the Central Committee of Rotary International confirmed the credentials of Don Fernando Carbajal Segura and appointed him as special envoy for the formation of a Rotary Club in Peru.
This brief history extracted and edited from a Google translation of an address given by the President of Rotary Club of Lima AR Raul Cantella Salaverry, in a Tribute to Fernando Carbajal Segura, President of Rotary International in the period 1942 – 1943

In Peru we call Fernando Carbajal the “PAUL HARRIS Peruvian.” The right of Carbajal for this title is indisputable. It was he who brought Rotary to the west coast of South America, to organize in 1921 the Rotary Club of Lima.

Source – Jorge M. Zegarra, Former District Governor of Lima, Peru: Rotary Magazine in Spanish August 1942)

Researched and posted by RGHF Senior Global Webmaster, Greg Barlow, Malaysia 16 August 2008